Song, Liao, and Jin · General and Official

Xiao Gan 蕭幹

Xiāo Gàn

First attested AD 951; died AD 986

Passages: 12
Chapters: 3
Histories: 1

Overview

Xiao Gan was a general and Official.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Podian	婆典	Pódiǎn
Childhood name	Xianglie	項烈	Xiàngliè

Life and dates

Death

AD 986 統和四年
Directly stated · History of Liao 84, passage 37

Attested activity

AD 980 二年
Dated from the passage context · History of Liao 9, passage 95; History of Liao 84, passage 34
AD 986 統和四年
Dated from the passage context · History of Liao 84, passage 37
AD 979 乾亨初
Dated from the passage context · History of Liao 84, passage 30
AD 969 應歷末
Strongly inferred · History of Liao 83, passages 6-7
AD 951 察割之亂
Dated from the passage context · History of Liao 84, passage 25

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Kin of Taogu (討古)
nephew 侄
Directly stated · History of Liao 84, passage 38
Child of Diru (敵魯)
son 子
Directly stated · History of Liao 84, passage 23

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Chief Forest Master of the Herds 群牧都林牙
Appointed
Directly stated · History of Liao 84, passage 28
Chief of Political Affairs 政事令
Appointed
Directly stated · History of Liao 84, passage 33
Military Commissioner of the Tulübu tribe 突呂不部節度使
Appointed
Directly stated · History of Liao 84, passage 29
Northern Chancellor 北府宰相
Appointed
Directly stated · History of Liao 84, passage 29
Tulu Bu Route Military Commissioner 突呂不部節度使
Held
Directly stated · History of Liao 9, passage 95

Places and affiliations

Polity Id liao · Relation Served
Directly stated · History of Liao 9, passage 95; History of Liao 84, passage 23

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker
Directly stated · History of Liao 84, passage 26

Events and relationships

Bound envoy sent to
Political · Actor · With Yelü Xian (耶律賢)
Directly stated · History of Liao 84, passage 27
Defeated song
AD 979 乾亨初 · Military · Commander · At Gaoliang River 高梁河
Directly stated · History of Liao 84, passages 30-31
Repelled night raid
AD 980 二年 · Military · Commander
Directly stated · History of Liao 9, passage 95
Repelled raid
AD 980 二年 · Military · Commander · With Yelu Jungu (耶律勻骨) · At Wagiao 瓦橋
Directly stated · History of Liao 84, passage 34
Relation Refused recruitment by · Person Chage (察割)
Directly stated · History of Liao 84, passages 25-26
Relation Addressed as father by · Person Wise Empress Dowager (睿智皇后)
Directly stated · History of Liao 84, passage 35

Assessments and attributes

Assessment loyal · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · History of Liao 84, passage 28
Assessment worth beyond battlefield merit for refusing Chagai · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · History of Liao 84, passage 73
forthright and plain-spoken
Character
Directly stated · History of Liao 84, passage 24

References in the histories

Search passages

History

12 passages

History of Liao, Chapter 9Volume 9 Annals 9: Jingzong 2 · 1 passage

十一月庚子朔，宋兵夜襲營，突呂不部節度使蕭幹及四捷軍詳穩耶律痕德戰卻之。 On the gengzi new moon of the eleventh month Song forces raided the camp by night; Tulu Bu Route Military Commissioner Xiao Gan and Four Victorious Army xiangwen Yelü Hende beat them back.

History of Liao, Chapter 83Volume 83 Biographies 13: Yelu Xiuge, Yelu Xiezhen, Yelu Xidi, Yelu Xuegu · 1 passage

初烏古、室韋二部叛，休哥從北府宰相蕭幹討之。 When the Ugu and Shiwei tribes first rebelled, Xiuge accompanied Northern Court Chancellor Xiao Gan to suppress them.

History of Liao, Chapter 84Volume 84 Biographies 14: Yelu Sha, Yelu Mozhi, Xiao Gan, Yelu Shanbu, Yelu Haili · 10 passages

耶律沙耶律抹只蕭幹附:討古耶律善補耶律海裏 Yelu Sha, Yelu Mozhi, Xiao Gan, appended biography Taogu, Yelu Shanbu, and Yelu Haili

蕭幹，小字項烈，字婆典，北府宰相敵魯之子。 Xiao Gan, whose childhood name was Xianglie and courtesy name Podian, was the son of the Northern Chancellor Diru.

初，察割之亂，其黨胡古只與幹善，使人召之。 Early in Chagai's rebellion, one of his partisans, Huguzhi, who was on friendly terms with Gan, sent envoys to summon him.

幹曰：「吾豈能從逆臣！」 Gan replied, "How could I follow a traitor!"

乾亨初，宋伐河東，乘勝侵燕，詔幹拒之，戰於高梁河。 Early in Qianheng, when the Song attacked Hedong and, riding their victory, pressed into Yan, the court ordered Gan to hold them off; he gave battle at the Gaoliang River.

耶律沙退走，幹與耶律休哥等並力戰敗之，上手敕慰勞。 Yelu Sha had already fallen back, but Gan joined Yelu Xiuge and others in a combined assault that broke the enemy; the emperor sent a personal edict of commendation.

二年，宋兵圍瓦橋，夜襲我營，幹及耶律勻骨戰卻之。 In the second year, when Song forces besieged Wagiao and raided the Liao camp by night, Gan and Yelu Jungu drove them back.

時皇后以父呼幹。 The empress addressed him as "Father."

及後為皇太后稱制，幹數條奏便宜，多見聽用。 Later, when she ruled as empress dowager, Gan submitted one practical proposal after another, and many of his recommendations were adopted.

若蕭幹、海裏拒察割之招，討古告海思之變，則不止有戰功而已。 As for Xiao Gan and Haili, who refused Chagai's enticements, and Taogu, who exposed Haisi's conspiracy—their worth lay in more than battlefield success alone.